The Christmas Center
by Deviant Crew
Summary: When Ash, Iris and Cilan reach a new town, Iris volunteers to work at the Pokemon Center that has an Orphanage. Pokemon aren't allowed in the Hotel, so Pikachu, Oshawott, Axew, and Pansage spend an afternoon at the Orphanage, and they learn too much about what happens behind the peoples' back and about the evil Mr. Clout.
1. Chapter 1: Getting Settled

Before we begin, I have something I need to say. This story was inspired by the story, The Christmas Tree. Now, before you leave this story screaming, allow me to explain. With bad acting, a bad story and bad animation, I couldn't help but feel that with a lot of work, this story could have some potential. I decided to take up the challenge and fix everything that was wrong with this story. Please have faith in me as I turn this unholy mess into a story that could at least get respect. Thank you for listening.

**Bolded Text **in this story indicates the Pokemon Narrator talking.

* * *

><p><strong>Christmas Time for humans and Pokemon has always been a wonderful time of the year. Almost all humans understand the meaning of Christmas, but that can't be said for Pokemon. Some of them understand in due time, and others just understand the feeling that goes on between them and their trainers. <strong>

**This story is about a Pokemon Center, that didn't have a wonderful time during Christmas. At a Pokemon Center in a small town, five Pokemon live as orphans. Their trainers left them a long time ago. These five Pokemon lived under the control of a man named Mr. Clout. He was a tall man who wears glasses and a long silver trench coat. He also wears neat and tidy black military boots. Most of the time, he could be seen reading a book in his hand.**

**Mr. Clout had a very strict way of leading a Pokemon Center. The small Pokemon were always forced to do work and make the place look clean and spotless by the tall man. The food he gave them was cheap and poorly made, while he would spoil himself with a feast. He was greedy, and only took the job for his own personal gain.**

**The Pokemon never had toys, good food, or anything worthwhile for a Pokemon. But they held onto their faith. By the window of the poor Pokemon was a tall pine tree, that stood tall and looked very healthy. They would look upon that tree and think to themselves, "If that tree could be tall and healthy without any guidance, then so can we." One day, the Pokemon hope to decorate the tree and make it look beautiful.**

**They called it "The Tree of Hope". It might have been a simple name, but it fit it well. Gazing at the tree each day, and always thinking to themselves that they can be as strong as the tree stands, they continued on with their lives, hoping it would change one day. That someone would come to pick them up from the Pokemon Center, and take them away from the unbearable Mr. Clout.**

**Mr. Clout was a very clever man. Once every month, the mayor of the town would check the Pokemon Center to make sure Mr. Clout was doing his job properly. He spent money once a month to show that the Pokemon had food, toys, and even some clothing for display. But they were the same toys and clothes he continues to use every time. For that one day, the Pokemon finally feel happy to be taken care of, until Mr. Clout was given the money, and the mayor left. That was when everything turned back to normal. The mayor never noticed the Pokemon Center behind his back, and Mr. Clout's plan worked like a charm for more than two whole years.**

**Poor Pokemon, once more the victims of his numerous selfish tricks.**

**Mr. Clout used the money in an irresponsible way. He would invite gamblers over to bet the money given to him. They would drink, and play cards as Mr. Clout used the money to gain more for himself.**

"There goes the Pokemon's food for the week."

** So said Mr. Clout, smirking as he played another hand.**

**Most of the time, the Pokemon would go to bed without food one way or another.**

**Well, let's begin our story now. Ash and his friends were walking into a new town they haven't been to before.**

"Man, I'm beat from walking." Ash says, dragging his legs a little.

"We're coming up on a city, so maybe we could rest there." Cilan directed his finger to the town in the distance.

"It's Christmas Eve, so we should celebrate it here. I think I speak for all of us when I say that none of us want to celebrate it by traveling." Iris added.

The three of them nod.

They head into town, and they looked around the town. The three gasp in awe at the sight of snow everywhere. The white snow lit up the buildings and streets with its pureness.

"Snow is such a beautiful sight." Iris says.

"Uh huh." Cilan agrees.

They walked around the town, and soon they found a tall brown building. They looked up to see the name of the building in gold letters: Frost Town Hotel.

"Looks fancy." Ash exclaims.

"Frost Town Hotel, eh? That must be the name of the town we're in." Cilan says.

"Pretty obvious, Cilan." Iris replies.

They walk inside and feel a blast of hot air. They all let out a delightful exhale at the feel of the heat almost melting their ice bodies from traveling. They walk up to the front desk.

"Hello, we would like to..." As Ash talks, the person at the front desk looks down at their hips to see their Pokeballs.

"Hold it! We don't allow Pokemon in this hotel." The man says.

"What? Why?" Iris asks.

"We try our best to keep this place as comfortable as possible. With fur, residue, and the possibility of mischievous Pokemon behavior, the place could end up looking a mess." The man answers.

"Then, where do we leave them?" Cilan asks.

"You can talk the mayor and temporarily place them in the Pokemon Center, where they will be taken care of. You're not from around here, are you?" The man asks.

"No, we're not. We're travelers." Ash replies.

"Typical." The man remarks, rolling his eyes. It's obvious they took offence to that, but they decide to not talk about it, and leave.

After a short time of searching, they find the mayor's office. After another short time, they are let in and walk into the mayor's office.

"Sir, we would like to leave our Pokemon at the Pokemon Center." Ash says.

"Hold on Ash, I don't feel right about this. I just... I don't want to leave Axew all by himself." Iris explains.

"Well, I can give you a temporary job working for Mr. Clout as an assistant. That way you won't have to worry about your Pokemon." The mayor suggests. "You can see it as community service."

"But Iris, are you sure you want to celebrate Christmas Eve there?" Ash asks.

"What do you think, Iris?" Cilan asks.

"I think that's a good idea." Iris replies.

"Very well then. I'll inform Mr. Clout of your arrival." The mayor responds.

Ash and his friends walk out of the mayor's office, and head to the Pokemon Center at the center of town. Iris rings the doorbell, and the man in the silver trench coat answers the door.

"Ah yes. I was expecting your arrival. I am Mr. Clout." He says.

"We come from the mayor to-" Cilan is interrupted by Mr. Clout.

"Yes, I already know. The mayor called me."

Ash and Cilan turn to Iris. They give her their Pokeballs.

"We better get going." Cilan says.

"Take good care of Pikachu and Oshawott for me, okay?" Ash asks.

"And Pansage too." Cilan adds.

"I will. Don't you worry, boys." Iris nods.

"We'll be back later on tonight." Ash says, as him and Cilan return back to the Hotel.

"Time is wasting. Come inside." Mr. Clout interrupts.

Iris walks inside, and opens up the Pokeballs. The four Pokemon pop out.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says as he's set free.

"Oshawott!" Oshawott follows.

"Axew ew!" Axew exclaims.

"Pansage!" Pansage is the last to be released.

Mr. Clout walks them to their room.

"Here is your room. On such a short notice, this is the only room available."

"This is just fine, Mr. Clout. I could..." Iris looks around the room to find something that could decorate the room more. "Lay down the mattress here. With that, I think we'll be just fi-" Iris gets interrupted.

"Hold it! Don't think your Pokemon are going to have special treatment here. They are going to stay with the other Pokemon under the same rules and regulations."

"I apologize." Iris replies.

"Come Pokemon, follow me." Mr. Clout was about to walk out of the room, when he remembered something else. "Another thing. You, including the Pokemon must get up at 7. Iris, you will make breakfast for the Pokemon, feed them at 8:00. You must then clean and wash anything that seems dirty. I do not want you to forget to feed the Pokemon dinner at 6 so that every single Pokemon here will be in bed by 7:30. After 7:30, I better not catch a single Pokemon out of its bed. I repeat: no Pokemon walking around after 7:30."

Mr. Clout turns to the four Pokemon. "And you four. You may spend some time with the other Pokemon here after you complete the chores given." Mr. Clout turns back to Iris. " You may as well, but only half an hour and no more. The other Pokemon will sleep at the time given."

"Don't worry, sir. I will do everything stated." Iris says as Mr. Clout leaves with the Pokemon. _"Who spat in his breakfast?" _Iris thought.

Mr. Clout leads them to a room with other Pokemon. Pikachu, Oshawott, Axew, and Pansage notice the Pokemon.

A Leafeon, a Pichu, a Charmander, a Lilipup, and a Deerling look at the four with curiosity.

"This is going to be your bedroom. I want you to make sure you have your feet cleaned so you do not dirty the sheets. I want no messes, and no fights of any kind. That includes sparing. I do not want to hear any crying around here. Most importantly, no pillow fights. You understand?" Mr. Clout looks down at the four.

The four nod without saying a word.

"I want you four to get something in your head right now. If you think you will not be punished, just because one of your trainers are here, you will be extremely disappointed. You will get the same treatment as them." Mr. Clout gestures to the five Pokemon in the corner, not wanting to move or talk in fear. "Remember this: I am the one who is in charge here, not Iris." Mr. Clout leaves the room and closes the door.

The Pokemon could slightly hear Mr. Clout say something beyond the door. "That's just what I needed, more Pokemon. Good grief!"

The four look at the Pokemon orphans with happiness. However, they also notice that they aren't as happy as them. This creates an awkward moment of silence as Pikachu lays down on one of the beds. Axew follows, and so do Pansage. Oshawott sits up, and turns back at the Pokemon orphans.

"Oshawott." Oshawott smiles at them.

The Pokemon orphans start to smile at the sight of the new guests.

**Well, from the looks of things, these Pokemon are shy, but they are willing to get along with any new Pokemon they see.**

"Oshawott?" Oshawott takes off his scalchop, and gestures to them.

**Looks like Oshawott is letting them look at his cool scalchop.**

The Pokemon walk closer, and take a look at the cool shell-like blade. They look in awe.

**Pikachu, Oshawott, Axew, and Pansage now have new friends around the orphanage. Tune in next episode to follow the journey these Pokemon are soon to experience.**


	2. Chapter 2: Iris and the Pokemon Orphans

Meanwhile, Iris works in the dishes, cleans the windows, and washes the rugs and floors. "Whew, what a rough day." Iris walks into the Pokemon room to see them looking out a window. "Hey, you guys. How's it going?"

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu gestures to the window.

"What are you looking out at?" Iris looks out the window to see the pine tree. "A pine tree?"

**Using body language, and a lot of effort, the Pokemon explain to Iris that the tree she is looking at is what they call the Tree of Hope. By looking at the health and power of the tree, they can fill themselves with self-confidence.**

"Deerling, Deer." The Deerling nudges her nose to a book.

"Hmm... hey, do you want me to read you a story under the Tree of Hope?" Iris asks.

The Pokemon nod.

"That sounds like a good idea, Deerling." Iris says as she leads them outside to the tree.

**Iris reads a story to the Pokemon as they lay under the tree. Meanwhile...**

Mr. Clout sits in front of a TV, watching the news.

"A wild Snorlax has been identified close to the city. Professionals have also said that it is irritated for reasons they can't explain. If you plan on leaving the city for Christmas Eve, be sure to be quiet as you leave, for if it wakes up, it could become hostile." A girl holding a microphone says as she stands near the entrance to the city.

Suddenly, Mr. Clout hears the sound of Iris outside. "What's going on out there?" He steps to the window and looks down to see Iris reading a story. "I did not allow of this." He says before opening the window.

"Iris!" Mr. Clout shouts from the window. "Come here, immediately!"

"Uh oh. That doesn't sound good." Iris puts down the book, and heads inside. She heads up to Mr. Clout's room, and he turns off the TV as she enters.

"Who gave you permission to read a story to the Pokemon?" Mr. Clout asks angrily.

"I didn't think I needed-"

Mr. Clout interrupts her again. "Let me tell you something, Iris. You don't have time to mess around. You are here to complete your work first before any nonsense!"

"But I have finished my work. I decided to read a story to them in my spare time."

"Did you finish washing?"

"Yes."

"Cleaning?"

"Yes."

"Washing the dishes?"

"Yes, that too. I cleaned the whole house, including dishes and floor."

Mr. Clout growls softly. "You may go, now."

Iris walks out of her room. _"What's his problem?" _She thinks to herself.

**So the day went by, and they spent the whole day under the Tree of Hope together. A few hours pass, and the mayor passes by in his car, watching Iris and the Pokemon getting along.**

"Wow, they really are getting along. Iris seems really good with Pokemon." The Mayor says as he passes by.

**Iris learned how important the tree was for the Pokemon, and their self-esteem on life. The Pokemon Orphans have never felt so happy before. It was like the one moment when the mayor shows up, except it wasn't one brief moment. It was an entire day. They truly started to have a bond with Iris, and Pikachu, Oshawott, Axew, and Pansage treated the Orphans with open arms.**

**Mr. Clout continued to get donations from the Mayor. Little did he know the money was destined to pursuits other than bettering the lives of the Pokemon Orphans.**

"Mr. Clout, I have good news. This year, I have collected more money for the Pokemons' Christmas. I've got enough money here to get the Pokemon warm clothes for the cold storms ahead. You'll even have some left for their presents as well. Here you go, Mr. Clout. I have upgraded the cash from 150,000 to 300,000 Pokédollars. I'm glad the Pokemon don't have to spend another winter in hardly anything on. Those poor fire types, sometimes. They can hardly make it through the winter with nothing on." The mayor hands Mr. Clout the Pokédollars.

"By the way, where's Iris?" The mayor asks.

As if she could hear the mayor, Iris walks through the door behind Mr. Clout.

"Oh, Iris. It's good that you're here. I just gave Mr. Clout the money, so he can buy new winter clothes for the Pokemon, and something nice for Christmas. I have also noticed that the Pokemon have become very fond of you, so I think you'll be the right person to ask this."

"Okay, Mayor. What would you like to ask?" Iris asks.

"Would you like to help Mr. Clout pick out warm winter clothes for the Pokemon? I have a felling you might know what they like. Will you do it?"

"I would be honored." Iris answers.

"Good! I must return to my office for a meeting. Good day, ladies." The mayor turns around, and with a smile on his face, leaves the Pokemon Center.

"Thank you, Mayor. The Pokemon and I appreciate the donations from the bottom of our hearts." Mr. Clout says dearly as he leaves.

"I'm going to tell the Pokemon the good news!" Iris rushes out of the room.

"Yeah... you go do that." Mr. Clout picks up the phone. "Frank, do you feel lucky tonight? Well, do ya?" Mr. Clout smiles evilly. "Tell Monica the news. We're going All or Nothing. Don't forget the champagne." He hangs up and sits down to read his book.

Meanwhile, Iris talks with the Pokemon.

"...and soon, you'll all get new clothes that will help you keep warm during this time of year. Remember, we should thank the Mayor for the money."

The Pokemon nod, with smiles on their face.

"Pichu Pi!" Pichu adds.

"Hmm... maybe I could also convince Mr. Clout to get red velvet. That way, we can make Christmas Stockings for you." Iris added.

The Pokemon Orphans tilt their head.

"You know about Christmas stockings, right?"

They shake their head.

Iris takes a moment to think. "Have you celebrated Christmas before?"

All of the Pokemon but the main four shake their head.

**Oh dear, it seems the Pokemon Orphans don't know what Christmas is!**

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu stands up and gestures to the Pokemon Orphans.

Iris smiles. "Would you four like to explain how Christmas works?"

"Axew, Axew!" Axew and the other three nod.

Iris lets them explain.

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu pretends to be sleeping.

"Pan! Pan!" Pansage acts like a clock, hands up to signal midnight and making 12 chimes.

Oshawott pretends to jump down a chimney and land. "Osh, Osh, Osh!" He holds his belly and pretends to carry a sack over to a Christmas Tree. He lays nothing down, but shows that he is to signal that he's leaving something. He walks back to the same spot he pretended to come down, and goes back up. "Oshawott!"

Finally, Axew rushes down something, preferably stairs and runs over to the invisible Christmas Tree. Axew picks up a present, and shakes it, then opening it up. Axew gasps. "Axew! Ax! Axew!" Axew jumps up and down, excited.

Iris applauds the four after their performance. "Bravo, that was well done! That was a well done performance!"

**And it seems the Pokemon Orphans understand what happens on Christmas Eve, now. That was a well done performance for a Pokemon to understand!**

"Even though that's what people like to celebrate on Christmas, there's a more important thing that happens during Christmas. It's a beautiful and happy time of the year, where peace and love are spread throughout the whole world. It's a time when humans and Pokemon come together to stop all the fighting and the hate. A time when people and Pokemon take the effort to get together and think about all the good memories and the ones to come ahead in the future." Iris explains.

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu also shows cutting down something, and the other three helping to decorate it.

"That's right, it's also a time where you can get a Christmas tree and decorate it for the holidays."

"Charmander?" Charmader asks.

"I guess you haven't seen a Christmas tree before. It's kind of like... the Tree of Hope, if it was decorated with beautiful decorations. But that tree is a pretty big. Usually a Christmas tree is something you can place inside and decorate with lights and ornaments." Iris continues to explain.

"Oshawott, Osha!" Oshawott pretends to act like Santa Claus again.

"Pichu, Pichu?" Pichu asks, acting like an old man.

"No, I don't think Santa Claus is anyone's grandpa. Though, he does care about children of all kinds. Human and Pokemon children could get presents from Santa."

Lilipup walks like a penguin. "Lilipup?"

"Hmm... I don't know if Santa Claus is a Delibird or not. It would explain a lot of he was, but no one has ever seen him before, because he comes around at midnight, and he might not come to your house if anyone is awake."

Leafeon does a flying signal with her hand. "Leafeon?"

"Santa has a set of reindeer to help make the sleigh fly, and each one has its own special name." Iris explains.

"Pi? Pichu?" Pichu asks, doing a thinking gesture.

"Well, Santa knows what presents you want when you right a letter to the North Pole." Iris explains.

Meanwhile...

"Gentlemen, I'm feeling lucky tonight." Mr. Clout smirks.

"Don't be so sure, James!" Monica laughs.

They all pull a hand of cards.

"Hit me." Mr. Clout says as he's given another card.

"Hit me." Monica also says, as she's given another card.

"Hold."

"Hold"

Mr. Clout and Monica both hold.

"How about 17?" Frank asks, laying down his cards.

"19." Mr. Clout places his down on the table.

"20, hah!" Monica laughs as she places down her cards. "You lose, James!"

"Another round!" Mr. Clout exclaims.

"You're going down, James Clout!" Monica smack talks Mr. Clout.

"We'll see about that."

They all get another hand.

"Hit me." Frank says, getting another card.

"Hold." Monica says.

"H..." Mr. Clout looks closer at his cards. "Hit me." He gets another card, but he grunts out in frustration when he looks at the card. "24!"

"Ha! You went over!" Monica laughs again.

"All or nothing, you hear me?! I'm betting it all!" Mr. Clout shouts.

"Are you crazy?" Frank asks.

"That's right, James! Now you're cooking with gas!" Monica taunts.

They each get one last hand.

"Hit me." Mr. Clout gets another card.

"Hit me." Monica gets another card.

"Hold." Frank keeps his hand.

"Hit me!"

"Hit me!"

They both get another card.

"Hold!" Mr. Clout and Monica shout at the same time.

"Let's see what you got, Clout." Monica smirks.

"20." Clout lays down his hand.

"Well, I fold." Frank throws his hand aside.

Mr. Clout smirks at Monica, but she smiles back at him. "Well, Monica?"

She lays down her hand, and Clout's eyes shoot open.

"21, fool!" Monica lays down her hand.

"No... no, no, no!" Mr. Clout screams.

**Oh no! Mr. Clout lost all of the money given my the mayor! This does not look good for him. Find out what will happen in the next episode!**


End file.
